09 Aug 2010, 12:01 pm
I never knew you could eat dandelions. I had a buffet in my grass and didn't know... 
09 Aug 2010, 12:08 pm
TeaEarlGreyHot wrote:
I never knew you could eat dandelions. I had a buffet in my grass and didn't know...
yeah, just make sure you're not eating ones from areas that are sprayed with pesticides and weed killer, etc.
here's an excerpt about their edibility and medicinal properties:
Quote:
Dandelion Gastronomy
All parts of the dandelion are edible and have medicinal and culinary uses. It has long been used as a liver tonic and diuretic. In addition, the roots contain inulin and levulin, starchlike substances that may help balance blood sugar, as well as bitter taraxacin, which stimulates digestion. Dandelion roots can be harvested during any frost-free period of the year and eaten raw, steamed, or even dried, roasted and ground into a coffee substitute. The flowers are best known for their use in dandelion wine, but they also can be added to a salad, made into jellies or dipped in batter to make dandelion fritters. The leaves are rich in potassium, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C. Dandelion greens can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, sautéed or braised. For use in salads, greens should be harvested from new plants while still small and tender, before the first flower emerges. Larger greens tend to be tougher and more bitter, and better suited for cooking.
All parts of the dandelion are edible and have medicinal and culinary uses. It has long been used as a liver tonic and diuretic. In addition, the roots contain inulin and levulin, starchlike substances that may help balance blood sugar, as well as bitter taraxacin, which stimulates digestion. Dandelion roots can be harvested during any frost-free period of the year and eaten raw, steamed, or even dried, roasted and ground into a coffee substitute. The flowers are best known for their use in dandelion wine, but they also can be added to a salad, made into jellies or dipped in batter to make dandelion fritters. The leaves are rich in potassium, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C. Dandelion greens can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, sautéed or braised. For use in salads, greens should be harvested from new plants while still small and tender, before the first flower emerges. Larger greens tend to be tougher and more bitter, and better suited for cooking.
also, here's a link to the page and it has a few dandelion salad recipes, etc.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Foo ... spx?page=2
i've never actually tried eating them myself, but a while back i went through an aspie obsession phase when i was interested in the edibility/medicinal properties of different common plants.
It was interesting because i was surprised to learn that quite a number of things are actually edible or have interesting medicinal properties that i've always thought were just weeds, normal flowers, etc.
09 Aug 2010, 12:25 pm
We don't use weed killer, but I have had to resort to snail and slug poison around my flowers because the little f*****s were eating my lilies, red hot sallies, and marigolds. 
09 Aug 2010, 12:41 pm
Seanmw wrote:
*sigh* i guess no one's interested in my freakishly large dandelion 
.....
.....I am generally interested when my offer to show me things that are freakishly large. Don't know how I missed this one!
09 Aug 2010, 6:07 pm
One-Winged-Angel wrote:
This is what happens when you neglect to teach your weeds the dangers of inbreeding.
lol
09 Aug 2010, 9:42 pm
visagrunt wrote:
Seanmw wrote:
*sigh* i guess no one's interested in my freakishly large dandelion .....
.....I am generally interested when my offer to show me things that are freakishly large. Don't know how I missed this one!
11 Aug 2010, 7:04 am
Seanmw wrote:
luvmyaspie wrote:
It's awesome! We eat the plant but not the flower.
tasty at all? what do you eat them with 
? i'm rather interested now.My husband is Maori and they call it puha. It's used in a traditional dish called boil-up. Boil-up consists of meat, pork mostly, vegies such as potatoes, pumpkin (kamo kamo), sweet potatoes (kumera), carrots, something green and leafy like puha (dandelions) or water cress or cabbage or silver beet and finally...dough buoys (little balls of dough made from flour, water and salt). It's all boiled together in one big pot and called boil-up.
I'm Italian (Sicilian) and we call them razzi. My parents used to gather them from the corn fields, between the rows of corn. We eat them in a similar way to the Maori except without the meat & dough buoys, we add lots of olive oil and call it Minestra.
11 Aug 2010, 7:36 am
luvmyaspie wrote:
Seanmw wrote:
luvmyaspie wrote:
It's awesome! We eat the plant but not the flower.
tasty at all? what do you eat them with ? i'm rather interested now.My husband is Maori and they call it puha. It's used in a traditional dish called boil-up. Boil-up consists of meat, pork mostly, vegies such as potatoes, pumpkin (kamo kamo), sweet potatoes (kumera), carrots, something green and leafy like puha (dandelions) or water cress or cabbage or silver beet and finally...dough buoys (little balls of dough made from flour, water and salt). It's all boiled together in one big pot and called boil-up.
I'm Italian (Sicilian) and we call them razzi. My parents used to gather them from the corn fields, between the rows of corn. We eat them in a similar way to the Maori except without the meat & dough buoys, we add lots of olive oil and call it Minestra.
wow, i didn't know there was anywhere where it was commonly eaten, let alone 2 places
.
what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
11 Aug 2010, 8:25 am
Seanmw wrote:
wow, i didn't know there was anywhere where it was commonly eaten, let alone 2 places .
what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
.what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
No roots. Only the leaves and stems. It's usually best picked before the flowers bloom and it has a slightly bitter taste...a bit like endives.
11 Aug 2010, 8:43 am
luvmyaspie wrote:
Seanmw wrote:
wow, i didn't know there was anywhere where it was commonly eaten, let alone 2 places .
what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
.what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
No roots. Only the leaves and stems. It's usually best picked before the flowers bloom and it has a slightly bitter taste...a bit like endives.i've never had endives either
11 Aug 2010, 8:56 am
Seanmw wrote:
luvmyaspie wrote:
Seanmw wrote:
wow, i didn't know there was anywhere where it was commonly eaten, let alone 2 places .
what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
.what's it taste like?
i imagine the leaves would sorta taste like most salad greens tend to, but i'm not really sure about the roots.
No roots. Only the leaves and stems. It's usually best picked before the flowers bloom and it has a slightly bitter taste...a bit like endives.i've never had endives either
11 Aug 2010, 1:27 pm
11 Aug 2010, 1:30 pm
visagrunt wrote:
They are often found in seasonal french salads. I imagine that there are few cultures that do not have some tradition of dandelion consumption.
American culture doesn't have that tradition for one
. Dandelions aren't even native to the Americas
11 Aug 2010, 1:36 pm
15 Aug 2010, 6:34 pm
That's actually a pretty common dandelion mutation.
15 Aug 2010, 6:45 pm
